I feel as though I am in a time warp. I look at my watch everyday and now it says that it is December, but I just cannot believe it. It’s hard to think it’s a day past August in this weather. Wearing sandals, skirts, and short sleeves makes it feel like summer and without the holiday music and decorations I feel like my watch is lying to me. I am however appreciating my last days in this warm weather because I have heard that back in the states winter has arrived!
Since my last post my life has been devoted to writing, editing, and reading my ISP. I’m really happy to say that yesterday I went to the printing shop and printed a 48 page research paper, in French. It represents perhaps my greatest academic accomplishment to date.
The conclusion was that in fact Djaïli Amadou Amal does write the truth in order to liberate African women who are closed off from the world, unable to tell their stories. I will translate one of my favorite quotes from my research for you. It is from the only woman I interviewed who had already read the novel; she is a second wife in a marriage with an abundance of jealousy. She said that Amal writes what we, the victims of the polygamous lifestyle don’t dare to say out loud and through this novel people are going to change their attitudes as they see the consequences of this way of living.
I am really pleased with the way that my final paper turned out. There were many ups and downs throughout the whole process, but that is just what a process is. This next week I will have to make a powerpoint presentation about my last four weeks and present my findings to the program staff and the other students.
In other news, this past Thursday my friend Margo and I wanted to do something special for Thanksgiving. We went to the market to buy food which is always quite the experience. I love the bustling feeling of being at an open-air food market. You never know what you will find. Like a man walking past you with dead rats to show the effectiveness of the mouse traps he is trying to sell. I told Margo to buy one (if you remember she has mice friends) but she wasn’t too keen on talking to a man holding dead rodents. I can’t blame her.
Anyway, we attempted to make my family veggie-filled omelets and potato pancakes. The fact that no pans here are non-stick made our omelets more like scrambled eggs and our potato pancakes more like mashed potatoes. No matter, the family loved the meal. My 3 year old host brother was dancing around he was so thrilled.
A few days ago we went to Margo’s house to cook for her family. We had another eventful time at the market. One a man tried to over charge me for tomatoes and then when I caught him he ended up giving me 5 tomatoes for free and taking a picture with us! We cooked a huge pot of chili and fried plantains for her family. Her family loved the dish as well and somehow in the end, it actually tasted like real chili!
Today, the 6th, Margo and I will take the train back to Yaoundé. It is there that we will spend our last week in Cameroon.
When I first decided that I would do my ISP in Ngaoundéré I was slightly disappointed. I have such a great connection with my family in Yaoundé and being in the same room where I fought a fever for 5 days for a whole month didn’t seem too appealing. It’s amazing how your feelings change. I am going to be sad to leave this home, this family, this town. Everything here has become so familiar. For example, earlier this week Margo and I were at the train station reserving our tickets and the man in front of us turned around and said “oh you’re the girls who run. I see you every morning!” My host mom has been telling me that her friends see me in the mornings as well. It’s really nice to know that there are people who recognize you; it makes you feel at home. Even at Bar Laitier, the equivalent of a coffee shop, where Margo and I did ISP work daily, the ladies there knew our lunch order without us asking! My peanut and plantain ladies will also be missed. I loved finally feeling like I fit in and was a part of the community, but alas, change is inevitable.
Finally, as it is almost Christmas time, I have a holiday story. I wanted to get my family gifts to say goodbye because they have been so generous in feeding and housing me while they have financial struggles bearing down on them currently. I gave all the children colored pencils, modeling clay, notebooks and pencil sharpeners-- they were dancing around, so excited. I had also noticed that my host sister who is 12 had asked to use the calculator on my cell phone to do her math homework a few nights, so I bought her a $2 scientific calculator... she was overjoyed. She showed it off to her friends all night. My host mom told me later that she had been asking her older brothers for a calculator for years. Finally, my host mother has to ask permission from my father if she wishes to leave the house, very typical dynamic here. One day we were trying to take the infant to the hospital for her vaccinations, but Papa was not home. We really needed to go so finally I had the idea that she could call him using my phone. I have also seen her send notes in Arabic to her neighbors with the help of neighborhood children because that’s her only means of communication. A few times she’d mentioned wanting a cell phone, so I bought her a phone for a mere $26. When I gave her my gift she just started bawling and thanking me. I’d never seen someone so happy to get a present in my life and I just knew how much it meant to her. It was a beautiful moment I will never forget.
So back to Yaoundé today! I need to go finish packing! I’ll be back in the states in 10 days!
Friday, December 6, 2013
Monday, November 25, 2013
Research and Culture
Since I last blogged I have completed all my field research for my project, analyzed all my data, and have begun writing the paper.
Last Tuesday was probably my favorite day of field research and also, as usual, an incredibly interesting cultural experience. I met up with Loppa, my translator, at 8:30 and quickly learned that all of our planned rendez-vous were cancelled. I was worried. We still had quite a few surveys and interviews to be completed and no one to see! Loppa reassured me that she had an idea. She said that she can feel people’s vibes really well and we were just going to walk around the streets close to my house a look for people who she felt would either be polygamous, know polygamous families, or in some way be open to help us. I was skeptical, but nevertheless, the first man we spoke to pointed us in the direction of a polygamous family about a block away! Okay, I thought, that was lucky, but how do we get in to talk to these people? We aren’t very well just going to walk into a family we do not know’s compound, right? Wrong. We do. Loppa calls out a greeting in Fulfulde and a few children greet us first. In what very little Fulfulde I know, I understand that she asks them to take us to their mother, which they do. We bend down to talk to the women (a sign of respect when talking to elders) and Loppa explains what we are doing. I’m lost with the Fulfulde and am begging for a French translation, but it isn’t needed. I understand that we are more than welcome when we go into the first wive’s house and she feeds us rice, beans and tea. Loppa tells me to get out my notebook. I was shocked at the hospitality! I just kept thinking, this would never happen in America! We ended up talking to two wives, four children and the husband all in one visit.
Not knowing where to go next, the family pointed us to another family just down the road. One of the sons, in his 30s, walked us there. He also chose that moment to ask me and Loppa to become his second and third wives. When we laughed, he said, in all seriousness, what, you two get along well already, there will be no problems. We thanked him for the offer and quickly went in to the next home-- again, unannounced and guided to our subject by small children.
For the last two days of my research, this was our routine. I couldn’t help but laugh every time we barged into a new home. Thank goodness for Cameroonian hospitality I told myself.
Because Loppa had to take a few days off during the week (she was defending her Master’s thesis proposal) I had time to transcribe the final interviews and organize my work. Friday was my last day her, we finished around noon with a total of 43 surveys and 9 interviews completed. Since then I have been working on analyzing, coding, and organizing information. At this moment I have 13 of the 35-45 page page completed, all in French. I hope to have a first draft for Professor Taguem by Saturday.
Besides working I have been able to run every morning which pleases me. Often I go with Margo, and if we miss a day, when I’m in town later, shop owners ask me why I didn’t “faire du sport” that morning. As you can imagine, there aren’t many 5 foot white girls with braids down to their waist running in Ngaoundéré.
Actually being known in the town as the runner-girl has its advantages. I have gotten hollered at a lot less. It is really common here for men to yell out “la blanche” or in Fulfulde “Nassarra” both of which mean, white girl, and make extremely loud kissing noises. Children here also yell Nassarra incessantly until you wave. Most frequently we ignore the cat-calls. I try to tune them out. Occasionally I’ll give a slight smile or wave, but I really try not to encourage their behavior. I know they really mean no harm, they are just curious and also boys here are raised to be persistent with women, it is however extremely tiring. Some of the male Peace Corps volunteers tell us that they just yell back “le noir” and the Cameroonian laughs; I don’t try it.
Also, I don’t think I have yet, and I’d love to paint a picture of how taking a taxi works in Cameroon. Like I’ve maybe mentioned, people in Ngaoundéré take motos much more frequently, but in Yaoundé taxis are the primary source of transportation. So, imagine a line of people waiting on the curb, all with one arm pointing out (the equivalent of a thumb up in the air). A taxi slows down to a crawl as he passes the line of people. As he passes you, you yell out where you want to go and how much you’ll pay. You don’t however have to yell out a price if it’s a normal distance (we’ve never known exactly what this distance is, but within at 10 or 15 drive) because it is assumed that you’ll pay 200 CFA or 40 cents. If you’re traveling a short distance you might yell “100 francs” or if you prefer the driver take you and stop for no one else you say “depot” and pay 1,500 CFA, $3. Anyway, if the driver is heading in the same direction as you shout from the street he beeps his horn, stops and you jump in. The system works out really well, except you can be stuck on that curb for quite awhile if your destination isn’t a popular one.
Anyway- that’s some of the daily life here. In other news, the mosquitoes have come out with a vengeance recently. I’m covered in bug bites just from sitting in my room or the family room working or reading at night despite wearing spray and promethium soaked shirts. I always sleep in my mosquito tent, but I can’t very well live there. My host mother showed me her technique for getting of the mosquitoes in the living room; she violently whips her head-covering clothe around in the air for a few minutes each night. While I think I’ll stick to my technique, hers was highly entertaining for the whole family to watch. Tonight there were even tons of itsy bitsy spiders that were all over the couch I was sitting on in the living room; I still feel them crawling on me even though I showered. I rather have bugs though; my friend Margo’s room has become home to many mice friends.
On the bright side- along with my plantain lady, I have made friends with the woman who sell peanuts for 10 cents. I hardly eat any meat here so I have made them my protein source. She’ll give me an extra handful of peanuts once in a while too! So with my peanut lady and my plantain lady combined I can get a pretty sizable snack for 30 cents each day!
I’m wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving! There are so many things that I realize each day I am so very thankful for.
Last Tuesday was probably my favorite day of field research and also, as usual, an incredibly interesting cultural experience. I met up with Loppa, my translator, at 8:30 and quickly learned that all of our planned rendez-vous were cancelled. I was worried. We still had quite a few surveys and interviews to be completed and no one to see! Loppa reassured me that she had an idea. She said that she can feel people’s vibes really well and we were just going to walk around the streets close to my house a look for people who she felt would either be polygamous, know polygamous families, or in some way be open to help us. I was skeptical, but nevertheless, the first man we spoke to pointed us in the direction of a polygamous family about a block away! Okay, I thought, that was lucky, but how do we get in to talk to these people? We aren’t very well just going to walk into a family we do not know’s compound, right? Wrong. We do. Loppa calls out a greeting in Fulfulde and a few children greet us first. In what very little Fulfulde I know, I understand that she asks them to take us to their mother, which they do. We bend down to talk to the women (a sign of respect when talking to elders) and Loppa explains what we are doing. I’m lost with the Fulfulde and am begging for a French translation, but it isn’t needed. I understand that we are more than welcome when we go into the first wive’s house and she feeds us rice, beans and tea. Loppa tells me to get out my notebook. I was shocked at the hospitality! I just kept thinking, this would never happen in America! We ended up talking to two wives, four children and the husband all in one visit.
Not knowing where to go next, the family pointed us to another family just down the road. One of the sons, in his 30s, walked us there. He also chose that moment to ask me and Loppa to become his second and third wives. When we laughed, he said, in all seriousness, what, you two get along well already, there will be no problems. We thanked him for the offer and quickly went in to the next home-- again, unannounced and guided to our subject by small children.
For the last two days of my research, this was our routine. I couldn’t help but laugh every time we barged into a new home. Thank goodness for Cameroonian hospitality I told myself.
Because Loppa had to take a few days off during the week (she was defending her Master’s thesis proposal) I had time to transcribe the final interviews and organize my work. Friday was my last day her, we finished around noon with a total of 43 surveys and 9 interviews completed. Since then I have been working on analyzing, coding, and organizing information. At this moment I have 13 of the 35-45 page page completed, all in French. I hope to have a first draft for Professor Taguem by Saturday.
Besides working I have been able to run every morning which pleases me. Often I go with Margo, and if we miss a day, when I’m in town later, shop owners ask me why I didn’t “faire du sport” that morning. As you can imagine, there aren’t many 5 foot white girls with braids down to their waist running in Ngaoundéré.
Actually being known in the town as the runner-girl has its advantages. I have gotten hollered at a lot less. It is really common here for men to yell out “la blanche” or in Fulfulde “Nassarra” both of which mean, white girl, and make extremely loud kissing noises. Children here also yell Nassarra incessantly until you wave. Most frequently we ignore the cat-calls. I try to tune them out. Occasionally I’ll give a slight smile or wave, but I really try not to encourage their behavior. I know they really mean no harm, they are just curious and also boys here are raised to be persistent with women, it is however extremely tiring. Some of the male Peace Corps volunteers tell us that they just yell back “le noir” and the Cameroonian laughs; I don’t try it.
Also, I don’t think I have yet, and I’d love to paint a picture of how taking a taxi works in Cameroon. Like I’ve maybe mentioned, people in Ngaoundéré take motos much more frequently, but in Yaoundé taxis are the primary source of transportation. So, imagine a line of people waiting on the curb, all with one arm pointing out (the equivalent of a thumb up in the air). A taxi slows down to a crawl as he passes the line of people. As he passes you, you yell out where you want to go and how much you’ll pay. You don’t however have to yell out a price if it’s a normal distance (we’ve never known exactly what this distance is, but within at 10 or 15 drive) because it is assumed that you’ll pay 200 CFA or 40 cents. If you’re traveling a short distance you might yell “100 francs” or if you prefer the driver take you and stop for no one else you say “depot” and pay 1,500 CFA, $3. Anyway, if the driver is heading in the same direction as you shout from the street he beeps his horn, stops and you jump in. The system works out really well, except you can be stuck on that curb for quite awhile if your destination isn’t a popular one.
Anyway- that’s some of the daily life here. In other news, the mosquitoes have come out with a vengeance recently. I’m covered in bug bites just from sitting in my room or the family room working or reading at night despite wearing spray and promethium soaked shirts. I always sleep in my mosquito tent, but I can’t very well live there. My host mother showed me her technique for getting of the mosquitoes in the living room; she violently whips her head-covering clothe around in the air for a few minutes each night. While I think I’ll stick to my technique, hers was highly entertaining for the whole family to watch. Tonight there were even tons of itsy bitsy spiders that were all over the couch I was sitting on in the living room; I still feel them crawling on me even though I showered. I rather have bugs though; my friend Margo’s room has become home to many mice friends.
On the bright side- along with my plantain lady, I have made friends with the woman who sell peanuts for 10 cents. I hardly eat any meat here so I have made them my protein source. She’ll give me an extra handful of peanuts once in a while too! So with my peanut lady and my plantain lady combined I can get a pretty sizable snack for 30 cents each day!
I’m wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving! There are so many things that I realize each day I am so very thankful for.
Monday, November 18, 2013
So many wives, so little time!
Well it is true what they told us, the independent study portion of the semester is tiring, difficult, rewarding, and an in-depth cultural experience.
Last Sunday I arrived in Douala a little before noon. I called Djaïli Amadou Amal and she told me that she and her husband were in town running errand and were not too far from where I was staying. They drove up in their big white truck 15 minutes later. Amal got out and was waddling to the lobby of our guest house where we sat for our interview. I say waddling because she is nine months pregnant. In fact, while we had planned to space out our interview over the course of a few days, we decided it would be better to complete all the questions that afternoon because she thought she might go into labor very soon! It was a very long, but very rich interview! I was so thankful that she took the time to talk to me.
Amal grew up in the Extreme North of Cameroon. She was fortunate enough to go to school because her father was a teacher and her mother was Egyptian so it was not a question for her whether or not her daughters would attend school. That being said, she was married off into a polygamous marriage at the age of 16. She fought to continue school, but once she got to the age of University she was forced to stop as there is no University in the Extreme North. She said she was a writer since she was in elementary school, but she began writing seriously after she left her first husband. Yes, she was so unhappy that she chose to leave the polygamous relationship. She moved to Douala and married her current husband, also a writer and editor, and published Walaande: l’art de partager un mari in 2010. She explained that this book was a culmination of events that she saw happen and that happened within her marriage. She thinks that before the situation of the current Cameroonian woman can change, people must learn about the problem and that is what writing is capable of. She thinks that the more people are aware of the realities in the homes of these families, the more people will fight for the rights of oppressed women and children and the less people will ignore what is truly going on. She gave the responses that for the most part I had expected and which prompted my research question: is what she writes about accurately portraying the realities of these women? Because if she is not displaying their realities, then people are not being informed of the true situation and thus, the situation of the African women will not be changed. However, when I asked if her writing is a rebellion against tradition and of course polygamy, she answered poignantly: I would say a reform rather than a revolt. She emphasized that she values her culture, but there are things that need to change desperately in order for women to live happier lives.
After the interview I was even more excited to go discover the lives of these polygamous families in the North. I went back to Yaoundé and first went to a bookstore where I asked about some statistics of Amal’s book and Cameroonian women’s novels in general. They were only able to tell me that while Amal’s book had been well received, novels in general just don’t sell in Cameroon. This is important because Amal’s writing might be able to change the women’s situation, but only if people read... On top of that, Walaande sells for 5,000 CFA or $10, but the minimum wage in Cameroon is 28,000 CFA/mo. Why would anyone spend almost 20% of their monthly earnings on a book? It is a problem that Amal acknowledged.
I had a free day in Yaoundé where I took 7 painful hours to transcribe the interview with Amal (transcriptions are probably the most time-consuming and difficult part of this project). I wrote up the surveys for my informants. I am giving out 20 surveys to wives of polygamous families, 10 surveys to the husbands, and 10 to the children over the age of 18. I decided to make three different surveys because I am asking about different themes from the novel that concern each group in a different way.
The themes that I am focusing on are: jealousy between the wives, domestic violence, the choice (or lack thereof) for women and children to make decisions for their marriages and their education, and finally, the changing in ideas about polygamy in the young generation.
So, I left Yaoundé Wednesday afternoon. This time the train ride to Ngaoundéré was much more pleasant because I had a bed on the train! It was also the safest way to travel, seeing as I was going overnight alone. I arrived in Ngaoundéré Thursday morning and it was nice to see my family again. I met up with Margo who is the other girl from my program doing her project up here; she is studying girls education. Then I had a meeting with my adviser for my project, Dr. Fah Taguem. He has taught seminars and classes all over the states and in Germany. We had a great meeting and then when I was walking home I saw my host father drive by on a moto. He asked if I was ready to go to my first family and I was shocked but of course said yes. It happened to be a neighbor who has three wives. They were very open. I ended up getting four surveys and conducting three interviews all in the first day!
Friday I was introduced to Loppa, my translator. She has been very helpful because the majority of people who have not been educated do not speak French, just Fulfuldé. She also has a lot of connections to the area so she, along with my host father, have been wonderful in setting me up to meet families.
Saturday we had a very busy day. It started at 8:30 when we walked an hour to see our first family. I regretted having gone on a run that morning. Ngaoundéré is hot. And the dry season is truly upon us. I felt like we were walking through the desert, and I honestly wasn’t too far off. You must understand that here people take motos (mopeds or motorcycles) everywhere! There aren’t taxis really like in Yaoundé. Due to safety precautions we are not allowed to take a moto. In fact, if you are seen on a moto you have one strike, three strikes your going home. While none of our staff members are here, we are assured that they have spies everywhere. Honestly, I wouldn’t want to get on a moto because the driving here is frightening and I have seen people get in back wrecks. That being said, throughout my research it is proving to be a big inconvenience. Good thing I am active and like to walk!
Anyway, we got to our first house and this woman was extremely passionate. She said countless times, I condemn polygamy. I condemn it! It’s just a way to cheat women and make them suffer! When asked when then is she in a polygamous marriage she responded that she fell in love with a man who already had two wives, what was she to do? This shockingly has been a very common sentiment. Almost every woman that I have talked to strongly does not want her children to be in polygamous relationships because they feel it causes too many problems and just makes the wives and the children suffer. It is just amazing to me that these women are willing to live a lifestyle that they despise just because they love or feel financially secure with the man. Not as many women as I would’ve expected were forced into the marriage, although there are cases of such. Saturday I spoke to women and men and children from about 5 different families. Hearing every story was interesting to me. There were girls who are younger than I am with 4 children already and there were widows in their 50s who just didn’t want to be alone anymore and married a polygamous man because he was the first one to propose. The theme of jealousy that Amal presents in her books is the one theme that I am most confident that she is presenting the reality. Each time I ask the women if there is jealousy between the wives she laughs, some are quite hesitant to respond but almost all respond yes. Amal explained that women are supposed to hide those feelings, so that is why I think they all laugh nervously. They all know there is that feeling, but because of their lifestyle it is taboo to express this emotion. It is an emotion that Amal’s literature is able to express for these women because they cannot.
That night I came home exhausted from the day, but I heard music out in the courtyard. There was a four man band with drums and a microphone and dancing. I was confused but my host mother explained that a girl in the neighborhood was getting married the next day and they were getting her ready. I saw women washing the bride’s feet and dancing with her. Her head was covered with a scarf to hide her. It was a really cool cultural experience. I loved that everyone, old and young, from the neighborhood came out to dance and wish her well!
Sunday, or yesterday rather, was another early day. I went to my first family at 7:30 (people get moving pretty early here, even on weekends, because as I mentioned the heat is unreal). I first spoke with the father of the family. I could tell immediately that he is very strict and traditional with the way he treats his wives. He said that they have no say at all in the decision making and that if they go against his words he will divorce them. He has had 11 wives; he has four right now, two have died, and he has divorced five. I spoke with the women too. None of them have been educated or are allowed to work out of the house (only one out of the 14 women I’ve interviewed works out of the household). This family is extremely well-off. Their compound was expansive and luxurious! It was really interesting because the second family I spoke with is really struggling financially. I spoke to the father and three children and all the children said that they would not have polygamous families because in this day and age it is too much of a financial burden. The father of this family said he was willing to discuss decisions with his wives and valued what they had to think. In talking to Loppa I realized that the financial situations of these families really play an important role in how the family runs. A man can be a lot more domineering when he has money because the wife cannot complain, she has all her needs and then some met. However, if the man is struggling to provide then the women has more of a right to stand up and say what she wants and needs and how she thinks the family should run for the betterment of all. I relate this to the book because the first wife talks about how before the husband had money everything was happy, but after Alhadji became rich the wives lives actually deteriorated.
I have a great start on my research. In fact, by the end of this next week I will probably finish with my field work and devote my time entirely to transcribing and analyzing data. The week after that I will be writing my final paper. I will keep you all informed on further research!
Also, there is a woman on the street a couple blocks from my house who sells the best fried plantains I have ever eaten! She knows me now, and I’m already getting an extra plantain thrown in every time I stop by. For 20 cents I can’t very well pass up the opportunity for an afternoon plantain snack!
Last Sunday I arrived in Douala a little before noon. I called Djaïli Amadou Amal and she told me that she and her husband were in town running errand and were not too far from where I was staying. They drove up in their big white truck 15 minutes later. Amal got out and was waddling to the lobby of our guest house where we sat for our interview. I say waddling because she is nine months pregnant. In fact, while we had planned to space out our interview over the course of a few days, we decided it would be better to complete all the questions that afternoon because she thought she might go into labor very soon! It was a very long, but very rich interview! I was so thankful that she took the time to talk to me.
Amal grew up in the Extreme North of Cameroon. She was fortunate enough to go to school because her father was a teacher and her mother was Egyptian so it was not a question for her whether or not her daughters would attend school. That being said, she was married off into a polygamous marriage at the age of 16. She fought to continue school, but once she got to the age of University she was forced to stop as there is no University in the Extreme North. She said she was a writer since she was in elementary school, but she began writing seriously after she left her first husband. Yes, she was so unhappy that she chose to leave the polygamous relationship. She moved to Douala and married her current husband, also a writer and editor, and published Walaande: l’art de partager un mari in 2010. She explained that this book was a culmination of events that she saw happen and that happened within her marriage. She thinks that before the situation of the current Cameroonian woman can change, people must learn about the problem and that is what writing is capable of. She thinks that the more people are aware of the realities in the homes of these families, the more people will fight for the rights of oppressed women and children and the less people will ignore what is truly going on. She gave the responses that for the most part I had expected and which prompted my research question: is what she writes about accurately portraying the realities of these women? Because if she is not displaying their realities, then people are not being informed of the true situation and thus, the situation of the African women will not be changed. However, when I asked if her writing is a rebellion against tradition and of course polygamy, she answered poignantly: I would say a reform rather than a revolt. She emphasized that she values her culture, but there are things that need to change desperately in order for women to live happier lives.
After the interview I was even more excited to go discover the lives of these polygamous families in the North. I went back to Yaoundé and first went to a bookstore where I asked about some statistics of Amal’s book and Cameroonian women’s novels in general. They were only able to tell me that while Amal’s book had been well received, novels in general just don’t sell in Cameroon. This is important because Amal’s writing might be able to change the women’s situation, but only if people read... On top of that, Walaande sells for 5,000 CFA or $10, but the minimum wage in Cameroon is 28,000 CFA/mo. Why would anyone spend almost 20% of their monthly earnings on a book? It is a problem that Amal acknowledged.
I had a free day in Yaoundé where I took 7 painful hours to transcribe the interview with Amal (transcriptions are probably the most time-consuming and difficult part of this project). I wrote up the surveys for my informants. I am giving out 20 surveys to wives of polygamous families, 10 surveys to the husbands, and 10 to the children over the age of 18. I decided to make three different surveys because I am asking about different themes from the novel that concern each group in a different way.
The themes that I am focusing on are: jealousy between the wives, domestic violence, the choice (or lack thereof) for women and children to make decisions for their marriages and their education, and finally, the changing in ideas about polygamy in the young generation.
So, I left Yaoundé Wednesday afternoon. This time the train ride to Ngaoundéré was much more pleasant because I had a bed on the train! It was also the safest way to travel, seeing as I was going overnight alone. I arrived in Ngaoundéré Thursday morning and it was nice to see my family again. I met up with Margo who is the other girl from my program doing her project up here; she is studying girls education. Then I had a meeting with my adviser for my project, Dr. Fah Taguem. He has taught seminars and classes all over the states and in Germany. We had a great meeting and then when I was walking home I saw my host father drive by on a moto. He asked if I was ready to go to my first family and I was shocked but of course said yes. It happened to be a neighbor who has three wives. They were very open. I ended up getting four surveys and conducting three interviews all in the first day!
Friday I was introduced to Loppa, my translator. She has been very helpful because the majority of people who have not been educated do not speak French, just Fulfuldé. She also has a lot of connections to the area so she, along with my host father, have been wonderful in setting me up to meet families.
Saturday we had a very busy day. It started at 8:30 when we walked an hour to see our first family. I regretted having gone on a run that morning. Ngaoundéré is hot. And the dry season is truly upon us. I felt like we were walking through the desert, and I honestly wasn’t too far off. You must understand that here people take motos (mopeds or motorcycles) everywhere! There aren’t taxis really like in Yaoundé. Due to safety precautions we are not allowed to take a moto. In fact, if you are seen on a moto you have one strike, three strikes your going home. While none of our staff members are here, we are assured that they have spies everywhere. Honestly, I wouldn’t want to get on a moto because the driving here is frightening and I have seen people get in back wrecks. That being said, throughout my research it is proving to be a big inconvenience. Good thing I am active and like to walk!
Anyway, we got to our first house and this woman was extremely passionate. She said countless times, I condemn polygamy. I condemn it! It’s just a way to cheat women and make them suffer! When asked when then is she in a polygamous marriage she responded that she fell in love with a man who already had two wives, what was she to do? This shockingly has been a very common sentiment. Almost every woman that I have talked to strongly does not want her children to be in polygamous relationships because they feel it causes too many problems and just makes the wives and the children suffer. It is just amazing to me that these women are willing to live a lifestyle that they despise just because they love or feel financially secure with the man. Not as many women as I would’ve expected were forced into the marriage, although there are cases of such. Saturday I spoke to women and men and children from about 5 different families. Hearing every story was interesting to me. There were girls who are younger than I am with 4 children already and there were widows in their 50s who just didn’t want to be alone anymore and married a polygamous man because he was the first one to propose. The theme of jealousy that Amal presents in her books is the one theme that I am most confident that she is presenting the reality. Each time I ask the women if there is jealousy between the wives she laughs, some are quite hesitant to respond but almost all respond yes. Amal explained that women are supposed to hide those feelings, so that is why I think they all laugh nervously. They all know there is that feeling, but because of their lifestyle it is taboo to express this emotion. It is an emotion that Amal’s literature is able to express for these women because they cannot.
That night I came home exhausted from the day, but I heard music out in the courtyard. There was a four man band with drums and a microphone and dancing. I was confused but my host mother explained that a girl in the neighborhood was getting married the next day and they were getting her ready. I saw women washing the bride’s feet and dancing with her. Her head was covered with a scarf to hide her. It was a really cool cultural experience. I loved that everyone, old and young, from the neighborhood came out to dance and wish her well!
Sunday, or yesterday rather, was another early day. I went to my first family at 7:30 (people get moving pretty early here, even on weekends, because as I mentioned the heat is unreal). I first spoke with the father of the family. I could tell immediately that he is very strict and traditional with the way he treats his wives. He said that they have no say at all in the decision making and that if they go against his words he will divorce them. He has had 11 wives; he has four right now, two have died, and he has divorced five. I spoke with the women too. None of them have been educated or are allowed to work out of the house (only one out of the 14 women I’ve interviewed works out of the household). This family is extremely well-off. Their compound was expansive and luxurious! It was really interesting because the second family I spoke with is really struggling financially. I spoke to the father and three children and all the children said that they would not have polygamous families because in this day and age it is too much of a financial burden. The father of this family said he was willing to discuss decisions with his wives and valued what they had to think. In talking to Loppa I realized that the financial situations of these families really play an important role in how the family runs. A man can be a lot more domineering when he has money because the wife cannot complain, she has all her needs and then some met. However, if the man is struggling to provide then the women has more of a right to stand up and say what she wants and needs and how she thinks the family should run for the betterment of all. I relate this to the book because the first wife talks about how before the husband had money everything was happy, but after Alhadji became rich the wives lives actually deteriorated.
I have a great start on my research. In fact, by the end of this next week I will probably finish with my field work and devote my time entirely to transcribing and analyzing data. The week after that I will be writing my final paper. I will keep you all informed on further research!
Also, there is a woman on the street a couple blocks from my house who sells the best fried plantains I have ever eaten! She knows me now, and I’m already getting an extra plantain thrown in every time I stop by. For 20 cents I can’t very well pass up the opportunity for an afternoon plantain snack!
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Ready, Set, ISP!
I will start this blog with a health report: I am very healthy now and luckily I have a higher immunity so the rest of the students are jealous!
This week has been full of work. What is really exceptional about an SIT study abroad program is that we are constantly learning. From our home stays to our essays we are broadening our perspectives on the world, advancing academically and in our personal lives as well. Also, we do not do any “busy work”, by this I mean that every assignment or activity has a purpose. So this week we gave our IDI presentations, wrote our biggest essay yet about the possibility of national unity in Cameroon taking in consideration that it is a country extremely diverse, and we wrote and gave presentations about our independent study project proposals.
Our IDI presentation went well. We concluded that the Catholic church is starting to accept and even incorporate traditional practices into their practices; however, the church still sees their practices as superior and there are no doubt traditional beliefs that must be eliminated in order for Cameroonians to be accepted into the church.
Our ISP proposals had to include every aspect of the project: hypotheses, research questions, outlines for interview and survey questions, contacts, a timeline etc. The most nerve wrecking part of writing up this proposal was certainly the timeline. The ISP (Independent Study Project) is a four week long research project and those four weeks are barely enough! The expectation for the final paper is high and that is why we have to do so much prep-work to make sure that we will be able to have a good final product in such a short time period. I believe that I have mentioned that I was going to focus my work on French-speaking Cameroonian female authors. I have narrowed down my project to be a thematic analysis of Djaïli Amadou Amal’s first novel, Walaande: l’art de partager un mari (Walaande: the art of sharing a husband). French speaking African women writers have been described as “the voice for the voiceless” or in other words, they write the stories of women who otherwise would have no means of telling their story. For my project I will interview Amal in order to understand if she is writing as an advocate for women from the North is polygamous relationships and then I will go back to the North, to Ngaoundéré, and live and study polygamous families to see if the themes Amal presents are the reality with which these women live. I hypothesize that if Amal is a voice for the voiceless then her themes will be present in the families I observe, survey and interview. Otherwise, why is Amal writing? What is the importance of her writing? Is she creating a false voice, a false rebellion for the women of her region of origin? As of now that is what I will be dedicating the next four weeks of my life to figuring out.
Other than school work this week has been fairly calm. I have been able to start running again which is great, although we are entering the dry season in Cameroon and it is really hot! Last night, Friday night, was the first time that a group of us went out at night. We went out with some Cameroonian friends to some of their favorite places; it was really fun. Everyone we met had a connection to the states-- a brother was studying in California, they had worked for the MLB, they were going there for the first time in the near future. It is really fun to talk to others about America. I feel as though I am more patriotic when I am abroad than I ever have been in the states.
Today I went to the tailor and picked up all the clothes that I have had made. It is really incredible that you can have a tailor-made skirt for just 6 USD. I am really happy because due to packing limitations I didn’t bring many clothes here and so I feel like I have worn the same outfits millions of times. Plus, Cameroonians really like seeing foreigners dressed in their traditions fabrics and designs. You really are greeted with an even warmer welcome! Then we had our last class about how to write an ISP and some tips and guidelines. It was sad leaving the office today and knowing I won’t be back there for four weeks. It was also sad saying goodbye to the rest of my friends in the program. I know I will see them again in a month, but I am used to seeing them daily. One other girl, Margo, has also chosen to do her work in Ngaoundéré, so at least I will have one close friend there with me.
Tomorrow morning I am taking a bus to Douala, a city on the West coast, with one of our staff, Nathalie. The trip will take about 4 hours. I will stay there with Nathalie until Tuesday and in that time I will conduct three interviews with the author, Djaïli Amadou Amal. I am really excited! For me it is like meeting a celebrity! Good thing I have new clothes to wear!
I will keep you updated on the ISP process! Wish me luck!
This week has been full of work. What is really exceptional about an SIT study abroad program is that we are constantly learning. From our home stays to our essays we are broadening our perspectives on the world, advancing academically and in our personal lives as well. Also, we do not do any “busy work”, by this I mean that every assignment or activity has a purpose. So this week we gave our IDI presentations, wrote our biggest essay yet about the possibility of national unity in Cameroon taking in consideration that it is a country extremely diverse, and we wrote and gave presentations about our independent study project proposals.
Our IDI presentation went well. We concluded that the Catholic church is starting to accept and even incorporate traditional practices into their practices; however, the church still sees their practices as superior and there are no doubt traditional beliefs that must be eliminated in order for Cameroonians to be accepted into the church.
Our ISP proposals had to include every aspect of the project: hypotheses, research questions, outlines for interview and survey questions, contacts, a timeline etc. The most nerve wrecking part of writing up this proposal was certainly the timeline. The ISP (Independent Study Project) is a four week long research project and those four weeks are barely enough! The expectation for the final paper is high and that is why we have to do so much prep-work to make sure that we will be able to have a good final product in such a short time period. I believe that I have mentioned that I was going to focus my work on French-speaking Cameroonian female authors. I have narrowed down my project to be a thematic analysis of Djaïli Amadou Amal’s first novel, Walaande: l’art de partager un mari (Walaande: the art of sharing a husband). French speaking African women writers have been described as “the voice for the voiceless” or in other words, they write the stories of women who otherwise would have no means of telling their story. For my project I will interview Amal in order to understand if she is writing as an advocate for women from the North is polygamous relationships and then I will go back to the North, to Ngaoundéré, and live and study polygamous families to see if the themes Amal presents are the reality with which these women live. I hypothesize that if Amal is a voice for the voiceless then her themes will be present in the families I observe, survey and interview. Otherwise, why is Amal writing? What is the importance of her writing? Is she creating a false voice, a false rebellion for the women of her region of origin? As of now that is what I will be dedicating the next four weeks of my life to figuring out.
Other than school work this week has been fairly calm. I have been able to start running again which is great, although we are entering the dry season in Cameroon and it is really hot! Last night, Friday night, was the first time that a group of us went out at night. We went out with some Cameroonian friends to some of their favorite places; it was really fun. Everyone we met had a connection to the states-- a brother was studying in California, they had worked for the MLB, they were going there for the first time in the near future. It is really fun to talk to others about America. I feel as though I am more patriotic when I am abroad than I ever have been in the states.
Today I went to the tailor and picked up all the clothes that I have had made. It is really incredible that you can have a tailor-made skirt for just 6 USD. I am really happy because due to packing limitations I didn’t bring many clothes here and so I feel like I have worn the same outfits millions of times. Plus, Cameroonians really like seeing foreigners dressed in their traditions fabrics and designs. You really are greeted with an even warmer welcome! Then we had our last class about how to write an ISP and some tips and guidelines. It was sad leaving the office today and knowing I won’t be back there for four weeks. It was also sad saying goodbye to the rest of my friends in the program. I know I will see them again in a month, but I am used to seeing them daily. One other girl, Margo, has also chosen to do her work in Ngaoundéré, so at least I will have one close friend there with me.
Tomorrow morning I am taking a bus to Douala, a city on the West coast, with one of our staff, Nathalie. The trip will take about 4 hours. I will stay there with Nathalie until Tuesday and in that time I will conduct three interviews with the author, Djaïli Amadou Amal. I am really excited! For me it is like meeting a celebrity! Good thing I have new clothes to wear!
I will keep you updated on the ISP process! Wish me luck!
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Now I've Had the Real African Experience
This week I got through my biggest fear in coming to Africa. Getting sick.
Last Thursday we took an overnight train to Ngaoundéré, the capital of the Northern region of Cameroon. The “first class” seats were similar to second class train cars on European rail lines, which I rode a lot during my year in Belgium. Needless to say, we did not sleep very much during our overnight trip.
We arrived in Ngaoundéré on Friday morning. We stayed in dorms at a boarding high school. We all played cards, relaxed, went to dinner, and went to bed early. The food in Ngaoundéré is quite different from where we have been. Mainly, they don’t really eat vegetables or fruits very frequently. Most meals are rice, pasta, couscous (not the same couscous we eat in the states, more like big sticky balls made from corn or rice base), or potatoes with an oily sauce. The sauces are very oily and made with tomatoes most frequently. There is very little meat or plantains or manioc or fish eaten here, unlike what we have seen more in the other regions we have been living. Also, many people in the group were happy because milk is huge here! It is either cow or goat milk and often the consistency of yogurt, served with sugar. The Peuls, the ethnic group of the region, are herders, originally nomadic, and so there is more access to cows or goats to milk. Milk otherwise has been powdered and added to hot water, so cold milk was a great change.
Saturday morning we had a class about Islam and Fulbe. The Fulbe (same group as Peul) speak Fulfulde which we had three crash courses in during our time in the North. The language courses turned out to be more helpful than we could have imagined because our host families spoke Fulfulde exclusively in the home. Most of the time the students sat quietly until addressed in French. We also learned about Islam because this Northern region is the vast majority Muslim. All of our host families were Mulslim. I was used to this because my Yaoundé family is Muslim as well, but this family was more conservative.
I’m getting ahead of myself though... so we were in class on Saturday and I began to feel like I had a fever. The director of the program, Christiane, knows all of us very well and noticed that I wasn’t doing well. She suggested I go to one of the guest houses to sleep. I slept all day and all day my fever rose to 102.5. By that evening, my teachers thought it would be best to go to the hospital. There are a lot of differences between American hospitals and the Cameroonian hospital where I went. It was about 6pm when we got to the hospital. You first have to buy a notebook for $1.20 in which the doctor writes your health status, test results, treatments etc. In between every place you go you walk outside. We walked to the Emergency room, which said it was closed until 7pm. My teacher I was with, Nathalie, thought this was ridiculous for an Emergency room to close and we went inside. I will be completely honest. As a white American girl, I was given priority treatment multiple times. This was nice at the time, but also embarrassing and made me feel very uncomfortable. That night they took a blood sample, told me to take Tylenol to break my fever, and come back the next day for the results. I went to my host family for the first time that night. I felt bad walking in sick as a dog and hardly my social self, but they were understanding.
The next morning, Sunday, my fever still refused to go down. We went back to the hospital and was originally told that I had Typhoid and prescribed medicine. I went back home and slept all day, but by 7pm I had such a high fever that I was under three blankets and still shivering. The staff of the program all came over to my house, and my host dad called his American nurse friend, Jackie over to the house to check out my condition. It was a blessing that he was friends with this lady because I could finally explain my condition in English. Jackie is a paid nurse at the hospital through the Lutheran church. She told me that I have the symptoms of Typhoid, but because I had the vaccine I will always test positive for the illness. She thought I had Malaria, the mosquito born disease, instead. Jackie sent out one of the staff members to put me on new medicine and told me to go to the hospital the next day.
The next day I still had a fever over 101. We went to the hospital and they said the final diagnosis would be Malaria and an Amoeba parasite. I felt really sick. The whole day I slept and tried to battle with my fever. By Tuesday I still had a fever between 99 and 100 all day, but my appetite was slowly coming back and I was starting to feel a little stronger. Wednesday was the first day without a fever! I knew the meds were helping now. By Friday and Saturday I was walking around town, exploring for the first time, and unfortunately I wasn’t left with a whole lot of time to explore.
So I may have had Typhoid, but definitely survived Malaria and an Amoeba. It is true that these are very serious diseases, but only if not treated. I am on preventative medication for Malaria, I sleep in a mosquito tent and I was given primary medical treatment quickly... imagine those who aren’t as fortunate as I. I am really blessed by my fortunate situation. Now, I am still very fatigued, a feeling that is supposed to last up to a week, but I am doing exponentially better! I survived Malaria! Now, as most of the Cameroonians have told me, I’ve had the true African experience!
My host family, like I said, was a Muslim family. This family was not as modern. My host father who owns his own tailoring shop, had his own sleeping and living quarters separate from the family and was brought his meals by his wife when he commanded them. My host mom married my host father when she was 16; I was told that he was much older, but I don’t know the age, I’d estimate 25 years her senior. I had six siblings, but grasping names was very difficult, especially because I wasn’t able to socialize much due to my sickness. My eldest brother was 19, the next 16, my sister was 12 and acted like a second mother, the next boy was 9, the next boy 3 and adorable but because he wasn’t in school yet he spoke no French and I spoke no Fulfulde so we had a sign language relationship. The last child was a baby girl who celebrated her 40 day birthday the day I arrived. On top of the 8 permanent dwellers in the house plus me, there were people coming in and out all the time. The neighborhood was kind of a big compound of friendly neighbors. Everyone left their main doors open and there was a lot of exchanging all throughout the day and night. I liked this. It made for a warm atmosphere.
My family had probably the lowest economic status that I have yet to live with. Thursday night my host mom told me that she didn’t have money to make the sauce for dinner, so we just ate plain white rice. All the portions were always small. I was fine with this because I didn’t have much of an appetite anyway, but I still wish I could’ve helped more. SIT gives each family a stipend to host us, but with a newborn and 5 other children that stipend could have been used up quickly. They were very generous to host me, especially because I wasn’t much fun. I was very appreciative of their hospitality.
Ngaoundéré was an interesting week. I unfortunately did not get to see a whole lot of the city, but the markets that I went to Saturday morning before we took the train back to Yaoundé were beautiful. Scarfs and beautiful silks and fabrics are sold everywhere. Besides that, my impression of the area consisted mostly of their hospitals and the inside of my bedroom. We did, however, get advised on our ISP (the Independent Study Project for the final month of the semester). I got in contact with one author who I would really like to research with. She seemed very willing to talk to me so I will see where that goes. I have decided to stay in Yaoundé for the four week project because most female authors are based here, the publishing companies are here, and there is a lot of information at the University here. I think the whole group is nervous and excited for this project!
Today we took the train back to Yaoundé. Accustomed to the process now, we all slept better than on the way to Ngaoundéré. We met Peace Corps volunteers on the way back. They are always really fun to talk to! This week we will be presenting our IDI findings (the project about the Church and traditional practices) and presenting our final ISP proposals. The program requires a very in depth final proposal which may be difficult, but in a week I’m sure we will appreciate the preparation!
Last Thursday we took an overnight train to Ngaoundéré, the capital of the Northern region of Cameroon. The “first class” seats were similar to second class train cars on European rail lines, which I rode a lot during my year in Belgium. Needless to say, we did not sleep very much during our overnight trip.
We arrived in Ngaoundéré on Friday morning. We stayed in dorms at a boarding high school. We all played cards, relaxed, went to dinner, and went to bed early. The food in Ngaoundéré is quite different from where we have been. Mainly, they don’t really eat vegetables or fruits very frequently. Most meals are rice, pasta, couscous (not the same couscous we eat in the states, more like big sticky balls made from corn or rice base), or potatoes with an oily sauce. The sauces are very oily and made with tomatoes most frequently. There is very little meat or plantains or manioc or fish eaten here, unlike what we have seen more in the other regions we have been living. Also, many people in the group were happy because milk is huge here! It is either cow or goat milk and often the consistency of yogurt, served with sugar. The Peuls, the ethnic group of the region, are herders, originally nomadic, and so there is more access to cows or goats to milk. Milk otherwise has been powdered and added to hot water, so cold milk was a great change.
Saturday morning we had a class about Islam and Fulbe. The Fulbe (same group as Peul) speak Fulfulde which we had three crash courses in during our time in the North. The language courses turned out to be more helpful than we could have imagined because our host families spoke Fulfulde exclusively in the home. Most of the time the students sat quietly until addressed in French. We also learned about Islam because this Northern region is the vast majority Muslim. All of our host families were Mulslim. I was used to this because my Yaoundé family is Muslim as well, but this family was more conservative.
I’m getting ahead of myself though... so we were in class on Saturday and I began to feel like I had a fever. The director of the program, Christiane, knows all of us very well and noticed that I wasn’t doing well. She suggested I go to one of the guest houses to sleep. I slept all day and all day my fever rose to 102.5. By that evening, my teachers thought it would be best to go to the hospital. There are a lot of differences between American hospitals and the Cameroonian hospital where I went. It was about 6pm when we got to the hospital. You first have to buy a notebook for $1.20 in which the doctor writes your health status, test results, treatments etc. In between every place you go you walk outside. We walked to the Emergency room, which said it was closed until 7pm. My teacher I was with, Nathalie, thought this was ridiculous for an Emergency room to close and we went inside. I will be completely honest. As a white American girl, I was given priority treatment multiple times. This was nice at the time, but also embarrassing and made me feel very uncomfortable. That night they took a blood sample, told me to take Tylenol to break my fever, and come back the next day for the results. I went to my host family for the first time that night. I felt bad walking in sick as a dog and hardly my social self, but they were understanding.
The next morning, Sunday, my fever still refused to go down. We went back to the hospital and was originally told that I had Typhoid and prescribed medicine. I went back home and slept all day, but by 7pm I had such a high fever that I was under three blankets and still shivering. The staff of the program all came over to my house, and my host dad called his American nurse friend, Jackie over to the house to check out my condition. It was a blessing that he was friends with this lady because I could finally explain my condition in English. Jackie is a paid nurse at the hospital through the Lutheran church. She told me that I have the symptoms of Typhoid, but because I had the vaccine I will always test positive for the illness. She thought I had Malaria, the mosquito born disease, instead. Jackie sent out one of the staff members to put me on new medicine and told me to go to the hospital the next day.
The next day I still had a fever over 101. We went to the hospital and they said the final diagnosis would be Malaria and an Amoeba parasite. I felt really sick. The whole day I slept and tried to battle with my fever. By Tuesday I still had a fever between 99 and 100 all day, but my appetite was slowly coming back and I was starting to feel a little stronger. Wednesday was the first day without a fever! I knew the meds were helping now. By Friday and Saturday I was walking around town, exploring for the first time, and unfortunately I wasn’t left with a whole lot of time to explore.
So I may have had Typhoid, but definitely survived Malaria and an Amoeba. It is true that these are very serious diseases, but only if not treated. I am on preventative medication for Malaria, I sleep in a mosquito tent and I was given primary medical treatment quickly... imagine those who aren’t as fortunate as I. I am really blessed by my fortunate situation. Now, I am still very fatigued, a feeling that is supposed to last up to a week, but I am doing exponentially better! I survived Malaria! Now, as most of the Cameroonians have told me, I’ve had the true African experience!
My host family, like I said, was a Muslim family. This family was not as modern. My host father who owns his own tailoring shop, had his own sleeping and living quarters separate from the family and was brought his meals by his wife when he commanded them. My host mom married my host father when she was 16; I was told that he was much older, but I don’t know the age, I’d estimate 25 years her senior. I had six siblings, but grasping names was very difficult, especially because I wasn’t able to socialize much due to my sickness. My eldest brother was 19, the next 16, my sister was 12 and acted like a second mother, the next boy was 9, the next boy 3 and adorable but because he wasn’t in school yet he spoke no French and I spoke no Fulfulde so we had a sign language relationship. The last child was a baby girl who celebrated her 40 day birthday the day I arrived. On top of the 8 permanent dwellers in the house plus me, there were people coming in and out all the time. The neighborhood was kind of a big compound of friendly neighbors. Everyone left their main doors open and there was a lot of exchanging all throughout the day and night. I liked this. It made for a warm atmosphere.
My family had probably the lowest economic status that I have yet to live with. Thursday night my host mom told me that she didn’t have money to make the sauce for dinner, so we just ate plain white rice. All the portions were always small. I was fine with this because I didn’t have much of an appetite anyway, but I still wish I could’ve helped more. SIT gives each family a stipend to host us, but with a newborn and 5 other children that stipend could have been used up quickly. They were very generous to host me, especially because I wasn’t much fun. I was very appreciative of their hospitality.
Ngaoundéré was an interesting week. I unfortunately did not get to see a whole lot of the city, but the markets that I went to Saturday morning before we took the train back to Yaoundé were beautiful. Scarfs and beautiful silks and fabrics are sold everywhere. Besides that, my impression of the area consisted mostly of their hospitals and the inside of my bedroom. We did, however, get advised on our ISP (the Independent Study Project for the final month of the semester). I got in contact with one author who I would really like to research with. She seemed very willing to talk to me so I will see where that goes. I have decided to stay in Yaoundé for the four week project because most female authors are based here, the publishing companies are here, and there is a lot of information at the University here. I think the whole group is nervous and excited for this project!
Today we took the train back to Yaoundé. Accustomed to the process now, we all slept better than on the way to Ngaoundéré. We met Peace Corps volunteers on the way back. They are always really fun to talk to! This week we will be presenting our IDI findings (the project about the Church and traditional practices) and presenting our final ISP proposals. The program requires a very in depth final proposal which may be difficult, but in a week I’m sure we will appreciate the preparation!
Thursday, October 24, 2013
KRIBI
I know it hasn’t been that long since my last post; however, I wanted to write about my last adventure to a little town called Kribi.
I have to admit, I have been looking forward to the trip to Kribi since I decided to come to Cameroon. Luckily, it did not disappoint!
Sunday morning we boarded our travel bus and made the 4.5 hour journey from Yaoundé to Kribi. Kribi is a beach town in the Southwest of Cameroon.
We arrived around 1 pm. Our hotel “Atlantic Hotel” was charming and we were all very excited because we had running water, wifi, and for the first time in two months, air conditioning! It’s the little things. We had some free time when we first got there so of course we all went out the back door of the hotel to the beach. Absolutely gorgeous! There were really fun waves to play in and the water was warm but refreshing.
At 4 pm we had a class on the Bagyeli, or the Pygmy group of the area. We went to NGO FAGAPE which works with the Baka and Bagyeli, two groups of Pygmies, in order to give them land rights. So, for those who don’t know, Pygmies are an ethnic group who are defined by their language, lifestyle and most known by foreigners for their small physical stature. By lifestyle, they are a historically nomadic, rainforest dwelling, hunting and gathering community.
There are many threats with which the Pygmies must cope. There is a lot of deforestation around them which essentially means that their home is being slowly taken away from them. Also, they are ostracized from the cities because of ethnic tensions. For example, we learned that one little girl from a Bagyeli community tried to go to school and was abused by her Bantou host family and the people at school so badly that she could no longer stay there; she came back to the village. However, the biggest problem, the problem FAGAPE is working to change, is acquiring land rights. Before, the Pygmies didn’t even realize that they needed papers to claim land, because as I said they were nomadic peoples. Today however, their land is being stolen from them by the Bantou and they have no legal way to fight the issue. FAGAPE works with elites from the Pygmy groups to get legal recognition of their territories.
After this class we went to dinner. Food in Kribi was excellent because I love seafood!
Monday morning we got to do our practical course-- go meet the Pygmies!
The first camp we went to was a Bagyeli camp in the rainforest. We hiked about a mile into the camp, led by one of the Bagyeli leaders. While we were walking in he would call out to the camp, and they would call back in response. This is a safety technique, so they know that whoever is coming close isn’t an intruder. We were able to ask questions openly with the 29 members of the community. What was very interesting was that each time a question was asked, all members would burst into a huge discussion. The community is very democratic and they have to discuss and hear everyone’s opinions before they give a response. What was even more interesting was that the women’s perspective was taken into account, valued, and often times has the last word. This is one of the only egalitarian societies in Cameroon. Out of the 29 people only one little girl had gone to school, the one I talked about earlier, not because they don’t value education, but because of the difficulties it presents. This community seemed very angry by the outsiders that were trying to come in and take away their traditions.
Unlike the rainforest community, the second community we saw did not really seem angry, they seemed hopeless. The reason for the hopelessness is because this community is in the outskirts of the city. Their environment has already been destroyed; they cannot hunt or gather, forced to farm on the very small amount of land that they have left. There are only 16 people in the community, two of which have severe disabilities and medical issues. On the site we saw a tomb, the tomb of the chief’s mother, which was no longer their property, the Bantou had just bought that portion of land... I am not good with numbers, but the amount of land on which they live is tiny. All 16 people sleep in the only house left that the Bantou haven’t bought, which is about the size of a one-car garage.
After seeing these communities we really understood why the efforts of FAGAPE are so crucial. At the same time though, we started asking ourselves if there is a point to their work. Eventually, won’t these communities be forced into modernization, and will they survive that? They don’t speak any official language; they have little practical skills outside of the rainforest; and they are not liked by other ethnic groups. It made us really sad. What is going to happen to these people? It’s a really unfortunate reality that they might all very soon become wiped out.
I have to mention too, because you never know, if you are reading this and planning on visiting a Pygmy camp one day: please do not give them money or alcohol. They have become very used to those gifts from visitors and it has created an intense alcoholism problem in the community. We were yelled at as we left both camps because we gave them food and clothes rather than money and alcohol.
After we finished with the Pygmies we had free time to explore Kribi town, go swimming and then we went to the Lobe waterfall. This was a beautiful place. We met volunteers from Europe and South America who were taking a vacation in Kribi as well and we watched the sunset.
After a wonderful dinner again, we went to bed. The next morning we had time to do yoga on the beach, swim one last time, and then we were back on the bus. We are in Yaoundé for 1 1/2 days. Tomorrow we take an overnight train to Ngaoundéré in the Northern region of Cameroon. I will write about this adventure next time! Meanwhile, everyone have a Happy Halloween!
I have to admit, I have been looking forward to the trip to Kribi since I decided to come to Cameroon. Luckily, it did not disappoint!
Sunday morning we boarded our travel bus and made the 4.5 hour journey from Yaoundé to Kribi. Kribi is a beach town in the Southwest of Cameroon.
We arrived around 1 pm. Our hotel “Atlantic Hotel” was charming and we were all very excited because we had running water, wifi, and for the first time in two months, air conditioning! It’s the little things. We had some free time when we first got there so of course we all went out the back door of the hotel to the beach. Absolutely gorgeous! There were really fun waves to play in and the water was warm but refreshing.
At 4 pm we had a class on the Bagyeli, or the Pygmy group of the area. We went to NGO FAGAPE which works with the Baka and Bagyeli, two groups of Pygmies, in order to give them land rights. So, for those who don’t know, Pygmies are an ethnic group who are defined by their language, lifestyle and most known by foreigners for their small physical stature. By lifestyle, they are a historically nomadic, rainforest dwelling, hunting and gathering community.
There are many threats with which the Pygmies must cope. There is a lot of deforestation around them which essentially means that their home is being slowly taken away from them. Also, they are ostracized from the cities because of ethnic tensions. For example, we learned that one little girl from a Bagyeli community tried to go to school and was abused by her Bantou host family and the people at school so badly that she could no longer stay there; she came back to the village. However, the biggest problem, the problem FAGAPE is working to change, is acquiring land rights. Before, the Pygmies didn’t even realize that they needed papers to claim land, because as I said they were nomadic peoples. Today however, their land is being stolen from them by the Bantou and they have no legal way to fight the issue. FAGAPE works with elites from the Pygmy groups to get legal recognition of their territories.
After this class we went to dinner. Food in Kribi was excellent because I love seafood!
Monday morning we got to do our practical course-- go meet the Pygmies!
The first camp we went to was a Bagyeli camp in the rainforest. We hiked about a mile into the camp, led by one of the Bagyeli leaders. While we were walking in he would call out to the camp, and they would call back in response. This is a safety technique, so they know that whoever is coming close isn’t an intruder. We were able to ask questions openly with the 29 members of the community. What was very interesting was that each time a question was asked, all members would burst into a huge discussion. The community is very democratic and they have to discuss and hear everyone’s opinions before they give a response. What was even more interesting was that the women’s perspective was taken into account, valued, and often times has the last word. This is one of the only egalitarian societies in Cameroon. Out of the 29 people only one little girl had gone to school, the one I talked about earlier, not because they don’t value education, but because of the difficulties it presents. This community seemed very angry by the outsiders that were trying to come in and take away their traditions.
Unlike the rainforest community, the second community we saw did not really seem angry, they seemed hopeless. The reason for the hopelessness is because this community is in the outskirts of the city. Their environment has already been destroyed; they cannot hunt or gather, forced to farm on the very small amount of land that they have left. There are only 16 people in the community, two of which have severe disabilities and medical issues. On the site we saw a tomb, the tomb of the chief’s mother, which was no longer their property, the Bantou had just bought that portion of land... I am not good with numbers, but the amount of land on which they live is tiny. All 16 people sleep in the only house left that the Bantou haven’t bought, which is about the size of a one-car garage.
After seeing these communities we really understood why the efforts of FAGAPE are so crucial. At the same time though, we started asking ourselves if there is a point to their work. Eventually, won’t these communities be forced into modernization, and will they survive that? They don’t speak any official language; they have little practical skills outside of the rainforest; and they are not liked by other ethnic groups. It made us really sad. What is going to happen to these people? It’s a really unfortunate reality that they might all very soon become wiped out.
I have to mention too, because you never know, if you are reading this and planning on visiting a Pygmy camp one day: please do not give them money or alcohol. They have become very used to those gifts from visitors and it has created an intense alcoholism problem in the community. We were yelled at as we left both camps because we gave them food and clothes rather than money and alcohol.
After we finished with the Pygmies we had free time to explore Kribi town, go swimming and then we went to the Lobe waterfall. This was a beautiful place. We met volunteers from Europe and South America who were taking a vacation in Kribi as well and we watched the sunset.
After a wonderful dinner again, we went to bed. The next morning we had time to do yoga on the beach, swim one last time, and then we were back on the bus. We are in Yaoundé for 1 1/2 days. Tomorrow we take an overnight train to Ngaoundéré in the Northern region of Cameroon. I will write about this adventure next time! Meanwhile, everyone have a Happy Halloween!
Saturday, October 19, 2013
NGOs, Research, and a Sheep Party
These last two weeks have been very busy, stressful, and extremely interesting.
A quick update on the new furniture in my house... it is not wise to get white furniture when you have children under the age of 12 and a kitten in the house. As much as my parents have tried to preserve the white leather, it seems to have a new mark on it every other day. Other than that, there have been no issues in my home stay; I’m really happy to be back with them.
So after we came back from Bamenda we had to seriously start working on our IDI project. I haven’t mentioned this project yet, but it has been eating away much of my time as of late. Essentially the IDI is a miniature ISP (the four week research project we do at the end of the semester) which we complete in a group on a subject of our choice to prepare us for doing the ISP later. We chose our topics about five weeks ago and have had to meet certain deadlines along the way. I am in a group with my friends Margo (University of Oregon) and Jaclyn (Duke University). We chose to research the relationship between the Catholic church and traditional religious African customs. We are learning a lot. The Catholic church has realized over the years that they must open their arms to the African traditions because they are so engrained in the lives of Africans. Some traditions include praying to ancestors, sacrificing animals, or traditional healing. The church’s position we have found is not to say that all these traditions are bad and should be abolished (if they were to do this they wouldn’t have a congregation); their position is rather to preach that God is the only truth and you can continue your practices as long as they aren’t harmful nor take priority over the worshiping of the holy trinity. Anyway, we have to pass out surveys to members of the church, interview two NGOs or development groups and interview two people after they take the survey. Our biggest stress has been working on ‘Cameroonian time’. We find ourselves waiting for hours after the scheduled time of appointments. Thankfully though, people have been very willing to take our surveys and the Catholic church with which we are working has been extremely welcoming.
In French classes I have read two wonderful novels by Cameroonian female authors in the last two weeks. Je Vois le Soleil dans Tes Yeux by Nathalie Etoke and Walaande: l’art de partager un mari by Djaïli Amadou Amal (in case you’re interested in Cameroonian literature). Consequentaly, reading these books are really exciting for me because of what I will be researching for my ISP.
When we aren’t working on IDI or in class, we are all trying to develop our ISP topics. My topic is generally about the influence of Francophone Cameroonian female authors in Cameroon. The ‘in Cameroon’ part is crucial because these women tend to be more read and more appreciated out of country, since books are extremely expensive here and thus people don’t read much, and read female authors even less frequently. Christiane, our director, has been so helpful to every one of us. One day she took me to a bookstore and two different publishing companies in Yaoundé to find contacts for me. I was really lucky because I have the numbers now of about 15 different Cameroonian female authors and a few editors who I will interview in the coming weeks. Side note- when I said books here are expensive, I meant it. At the bookstore, I saw a book that we had to buy for the program. I think we paid maybe $10 for it on Amazon; here the price was 16,000 CFA or $32 which is more than half of a months earnings for a person working a minimum wage job in Cameroon... no wonder people aren’t rushing to the bookstores. Anyway, I was lucky because I was given the number of Djaïli Amadou Amal from a person at Harmattan publishing company. Christiane bought me Amal’s second book which I am currently reading, so I might end up focusing specifically on her writings.
When we aren’t working on IDI, French or ISP we have had NGO and development organization visits these last two weeks. The organizations we have seen are: LAGA (The Last Great Ape Organization), ANACLAC (Association Nationale de Comités de Langues Camerounaises), RENATA (Réseau National des Associations des Tantines), MUFFA (Mutuelle Financière des Femmes Africaines), Peace Corps Cameroon and the IMF (International Monetary Fund). I will explain some of those briefly. LAGA is trying to cut down on the illegal bushmeat trade and foster great ape habitats. They are a wonderful success story. They started from absolutely nothing and now are turning away donors. They really promote activism and hard work. ANACLAC works to preserve the education of maternal languages in Cameroon; they are struggling to find funding. RENATA works to educate teenage mothers to become teachers for the community about sexual education and safety. Their work has helped a lot of women and men. MUFFA is a micro-finance agency that works specifically with women. They have given so many women incredible opportunities to change their lives. I think Peace Corps and IMF are well known. These organizations have been so interesting. I have learned that having a specific goal for the organization and working with people who are passionate about the cause and not just about money are key aspects to fostering a successful NGO. Also, most of these organizations stressed the importance of letting local peoples run projects rather than outsiders. Often foreign aid is most wanted to come in and teach skills and then leave and let the locals reap all the benefits.
Last weekend was the first completely activity-free weekend we have had. I took full advantage! I went running, hiking, went to the market, went to new restaurants, cooked for my host family, and went to a three hour long Catholic mass (it was for IDI research but it was still pretty interesting).
This past Tuesday however was probably the biggest activity of the last two weeks. It was “la fête du mouton” or the festival of the sheep which is essentially like Christmas in the Muslim community. My family is the only family in Yaoundé which is Muslim and we live in the Muslim neighborhood, so needless to say, it was a BIG deal. About a week before Tuesday my host mom’s cousin came over with two suitcases full of beautiful fabrics from the North (the Muslim region of Cameroon and where my parents are from). I was just in awe looking at the fabrics and then, out of nowhere, my Papa trows me a blue and white fabric and tells me it’s his gift to me and to take it to the tailor! If I wasn’t already feeling spoiled, he ended up buying me a purse and a bracelet that same night! That was when I realized how spectacular this fête would be. My host parents told me to invite all the exchange students, so everyone was looking forward to the day. We saw shepherds in the streets herding their sheep for days before the festival; I met the sheep that I ate Tuesday on Monday when my host dad came home with him in the trunk of the car... Monday and Tuesday were both public holidays, but SIT still had class. My dad wasn’t happy that I was going to school Tuesday, he really didn’t want me to miss out on the slaughtering of the sheep... I was happy to miss out. That night there was music, an abundance of food (I contributed a huge pot of fried rice to go with the meat), laughing and talking. It was just wonderful!
Next up on the agenda is Kribi, the coast of Cameroon where we will get to see the beach and learn about the social minority: the pygmies. After that we will be off to our third home stay, a week in Ngaoundéré, the North region. I am really looking forward to Kribi!
The weather is changing. We are moving into the dry season so during the day it is really sunny and extremely hot, but at night, around 6 or 7 pm the rain rolls in and it rains a lot. Apparently that means that the rainy season is moving out!
Until next time!
A quick update on the new furniture in my house... it is not wise to get white furniture when you have children under the age of 12 and a kitten in the house. As much as my parents have tried to preserve the white leather, it seems to have a new mark on it every other day. Other than that, there have been no issues in my home stay; I’m really happy to be back with them.
So after we came back from Bamenda we had to seriously start working on our IDI project. I haven’t mentioned this project yet, but it has been eating away much of my time as of late. Essentially the IDI is a miniature ISP (the four week research project we do at the end of the semester) which we complete in a group on a subject of our choice to prepare us for doing the ISP later. We chose our topics about five weeks ago and have had to meet certain deadlines along the way. I am in a group with my friends Margo (University of Oregon) and Jaclyn (Duke University). We chose to research the relationship between the Catholic church and traditional religious African customs. We are learning a lot. The Catholic church has realized over the years that they must open their arms to the African traditions because they are so engrained in the lives of Africans. Some traditions include praying to ancestors, sacrificing animals, or traditional healing. The church’s position we have found is not to say that all these traditions are bad and should be abolished (if they were to do this they wouldn’t have a congregation); their position is rather to preach that God is the only truth and you can continue your practices as long as they aren’t harmful nor take priority over the worshiping of the holy trinity. Anyway, we have to pass out surveys to members of the church, interview two NGOs or development groups and interview two people after they take the survey. Our biggest stress has been working on ‘Cameroonian time’. We find ourselves waiting for hours after the scheduled time of appointments. Thankfully though, people have been very willing to take our surveys and the Catholic church with which we are working has been extremely welcoming.
In French classes I have read two wonderful novels by Cameroonian female authors in the last two weeks. Je Vois le Soleil dans Tes Yeux by Nathalie Etoke and Walaande: l’art de partager un mari by Djaïli Amadou Amal (in case you’re interested in Cameroonian literature). Consequentaly, reading these books are really exciting for me because of what I will be researching for my ISP.
When we aren’t working on IDI or in class, we are all trying to develop our ISP topics. My topic is generally about the influence of Francophone Cameroonian female authors in Cameroon. The ‘in Cameroon’ part is crucial because these women tend to be more read and more appreciated out of country, since books are extremely expensive here and thus people don’t read much, and read female authors even less frequently. Christiane, our director, has been so helpful to every one of us. One day she took me to a bookstore and two different publishing companies in Yaoundé to find contacts for me. I was really lucky because I have the numbers now of about 15 different Cameroonian female authors and a few editors who I will interview in the coming weeks. Side note- when I said books here are expensive, I meant it. At the bookstore, I saw a book that we had to buy for the program. I think we paid maybe $10 for it on Amazon; here the price was 16,000 CFA or $32 which is more than half of a months earnings for a person working a minimum wage job in Cameroon... no wonder people aren’t rushing to the bookstores. Anyway, I was lucky because I was given the number of Djaïli Amadou Amal from a person at Harmattan publishing company. Christiane bought me Amal’s second book which I am currently reading, so I might end up focusing specifically on her writings.
When we aren’t working on IDI, French or ISP we have had NGO and development organization visits these last two weeks. The organizations we have seen are: LAGA (The Last Great Ape Organization), ANACLAC (Association Nationale de Comités de Langues Camerounaises), RENATA (Réseau National des Associations des Tantines), MUFFA (Mutuelle Financière des Femmes Africaines), Peace Corps Cameroon and the IMF (International Monetary Fund). I will explain some of those briefly. LAGA is trying to cut down on the illegal bushmeat trade and foster great ape habitats. They are a wonderful success story. They started from absolutely nothing and now are turning away donors. They really promote activism and hard work. ANACLAC works to preserve the education of maternal languages in Cameroon; they are struggling to find funding. RENATA works to educate teenage mothers to become teachers for the community about sexual education and safety. Their work has helped a lot of women and men. MUFFA is a micro-finance agency that works specifically with women. They have given so many women incredible opportunities to change their lives. I think Peace Corps and IMF are well known. These organizations have been so interesting. I have learned that having a specific goal for the organization and working with people who are passionate about the cause and not just about money are key aspects to fostering a successful NGO. Also, most of these organizations stressed the importance of letting local peoples run projects rather than outsiders. Often foreign aid is most wanted to come in and teach skills and then leave and let the locals reap all the benefits.
Last weekend was the first completely activity-free weekend we have had. I took full advantage! I went running, hiking, went to the market, went to new restaurants, cooked for my host family, and went to a three hour long Catholic mass (it was for IDI research but it was still pretty interesting).
This past Tuesday however was probably the biggest activity of the last two weeks. It was “la fête du mouton” or the festival of the sheep which is essentially like Christmas in the Muslim community. My family is the only family in Yaoundé which is Muslim and we live in the Muslim neighborhood, so needless to say, it was a BIG deal. About a week before Tuesday my host mom’s cousin came over with two suitcases full of beautiful fabrics from the North (the Muslim region of Cameroon and where my parents are from). I was just in awe looking at the fabrics and then, out of nowhere, my Papa trows me a blue and white fabric and tells me it’s his gift to me and to take it to the tailor! If I wasn’t already feeling spoiled, he ended up buying me a purse and a bracelet that same night! That was when I realized how spectacular this fête would be. My host parents told me to invite all the exchange students, so everyone was looking forward to the day. We saw shepherds in the streets herding their sheep for days before the festival; I met the sheep that I ate Tuesday on Monday when my host dad came home with him in the trunk of the car... Monday and Tuesday were both public holidays, but SIT still had class. My dad wasn’t happy that I was going to school Tuesday, he really didn’t want me to miss out on the slaughtering of the sheep... I was happy to miss out. That night there was music, an abundance of food (I contributed a huge pot of fried rice to go with the meat), laughing and talking. It was just wonderful!
Next up on the agenda is Kribi, the coast of Cameroon where we will get to see the beach and learn about the social minority: the pygmies. After that we will be off to our third home stay, a week in Ngaoundéré, the North region. I am really looking forward to Kribi!
The weather is changing. We are moving into the dry season so during the day it is really sunny and extremely hot, but at night, around 6 or 7 pm the rain rolls in and it rains a lot. Apparently that means that the rainy season is moving out!
Until next time!
Monday, October 7, 2013
The End of Dschang and Bamenda
Time seems to be flying by. I cannot believe that I have been in Cameroon for over a month! We are really busy with school work and traveling right now so there is always something new to see and look forward to which makes the time go by quickly.
This past week we were studying Bamiléké women in Cameroon. Bamiléké is an ethnic entity (I explained their history in the previous post). The role of women in African countries is generally marginalized in comparison with the male’s role. Women are still seen as the traditional mother, maid, cook figure while men are meant to “bring home the bacon” and be catered to. I, as well as the other students, have a hard time accepting this cultural difference because those roles have changed drastically in America. When we told Patrick, one of the Cameroonian students on our program, that there are even households in America where the man stays home all day with the children while the wife goes out and works he was shocked. He said that that doesn’t, and never will happen in Cameroon.
The role of the woman has changed some though. These days there are many more girls going to school, working, and some have even said that in the future they expect their husbands to help in raising the children and in the house. We had a lecture one day where a university girl and a university boy came to discuss the role of the modern woman. Charline is in medical school, and Gabriel engineering. All they had to say was all fascinating, but I will highlight some points.
Charline said that her schooling is really important to her and she feels that Cameroon devalues what positions a woman is capable of handling. However, she still feels like her life would not be complete and she would feel that she did not do her duty as a woman if she did not get married nor have children. She said also that she would like her husband to help around the house, especially on the weekend; however, she would feel ashamed if he helped more than twice a month and only if she really was not able to complete all her “feminine duties”. Even as a very modern young woman she was attached to traditional values.
Gabriel was even more of a traditionalist. He would expect for a woman to take care of the house entirely. That is the women’s natural role, a place where a man just does not belong. When asked, he said that he will probably have mistresses on the side of his marriage (a practice that is very common in Cameroon) and his wife does not have the right to question his fidelity.
In thinking about this discussion later, it made sense to me. For the female to gain power in Cameroonian society it means that the man has to give up some of his dominion. This is a pretty drastic change, and one that, in my opinion, is taking a very long time to change. Traditional values are still so powerful in African societies though, so I doubt that we will ever see complete equality between the sexes.
After our “women” lectures we said goodbye to our home stay families in Dschang. I was sad to say goodbye to my host brothers. They have both been so warm and welcoming and since I have grown up in America with a brother it was really comforting to have boys around my age in the house. On Friday we boarded the bus and headed three hours away to Bamenda.
Bamenda is in the Northwest region of Cameroon and is an anglophone town, colonized by the British. The town is gorgeous. It is situated in a valley so when we drove down into the town we saw a beautiful view. There are waterfalls on the cliffs that surround the town and everyone was extremely friendly. We moved into our guest house which was lovely. The best part was that they had running, HOT water! I think we all took as many showers as we could in the three days that we were there, just to soak up the amenity that we have missed dearly!
Friday night we had a lecture from a leader of the SCNC (Southern Cameroonians National Council). This is a liberation party in Cameroon that is trying to succeed from La Republique of Cameroon to become a state of it’s own. The reason it is “Southern Cameroonians” rather than “Southern Cameroonian” is because there was a Northern Cameroonians territory that became a part of Nigeria in the 1960s. This party is very controversial because they believe that they should’ve become their own state in the 1960s as well and that they are being unfairly ruled by La Republique, which is true, there is a lot of tension between the Francophone and Anglophone parts of Cameroon. He was a very passionate speaker.
Saturday was such a treat. We went to John Fru Ndi’s home for a meeting with him and his children. He is the chairman of the SDF (Social Democratic Front) which is the leading opposition party in Cameroon. The CPDM (Cameroonian People’s Democratic Movement) is the leading party in Cameroon and has help political power for decades. In fact, the current president of Cameroon has been in power since 1982... which is one reason why the SDF is so frustrated because they blame the economic and social paralysis on the never changing rule from the CPDM. The whole meeting and question and answering session was such an enriching experience! It is the equivalent of meeting the head of the Democratic party or the GOP in the states, so I think we were really lucky!
Both mornings in Bamenda I went on sunrise runs with my friend Margo. They were so lovely. I think most of us would love to go back and study more in Bamenda if only it was a French speaking area. Speaking that much in English was really messing with everyone’s head!
On Sunday we boarded the bus for the 9 hour ride back to Yaoundé. I was so happy to come home and pleased to see that my family had really missed me. They completely redecorated the house. All new modern furniture, a new refrigerator and even a new toilet!
This week and next week we are visiting a lot of different NGOs and developmental organizations. I am really looking forward to learning about these organizations and possibly making some connections for future international work!
This past week we were studying Bamiléké women in Cameroon. Bamiléké is an ethnic entity (I explained their history in the previous post). The role of women in African countries is generally marginalized in comparison with the male’s role. Women are still seen as the traditional mother, maid, cook figure while men are meant to “bring home the bacon” and be catered to. I, as well as the other students, have a hard time accepting this cultural difference because those roles have changed drastically in America. When we told Patrick, one of the Cameroonian students on our program, that there are even households in America where the man stays home all day with the children while the wife goes out and works he was shocked. He said that that doesn’t, and never will happen in Cameroon.
The role of the woman has changed some though. These days there are many more girls going to school, working, and some have even said that in the future they expect their husbands to help in raising the children and in the house. We had a lecture one day where a university girl and a university boy came to discuss the role of the modern woman. Charline is in medical school, and Gabriel engineering. All they had to say was all fascinating, but I will highlight some points.
Charline said that her schooling is really important to her and she feels that Cameroon devalues what positions a woman is capable of handling. However, she still feels like her life would not be complete and she would feel that she did not do her duty as a woman if she did not get married nor have children. She said also that she would like her husband to help around the house, especially on the weekend; however, she would feel ashamed if he helped more than twice a month and only if she really was not able to complete all her “feminine duties”. Even as a very modern young woman she was attached to traditional values.
Gabriel was even more of a traditionalist. He would expect for a woman to take care of the house entirely. That is the women’s natural role, a place where a man just does not belong. When asked, he said that he will probably have mistresses on the side of his marriage (a practice that is very common in Cameroon) and his wife does not have the right to question his fidelity.
In thinking about this discussion later, it made sense to me. For the female to gain power in Cameroonian society it means that the man has to give up some of his dominion. This is a pretty drastic change, and one that, in my opinion, is taking a very long time to change. Traditional values are still so powerful in African societies though, so I doubt that we will ever see complete equality between the sexes.
After our “women” lectures we said goodbye to our home stay families in Dschang. I was sad to say goodbye to my host brothers. They have both been so warm and welcoming and since I have grown up in America with a brother it was really comforting to have boys around my age in the house. On Friday we boarded the bus and headed three hours away to Bamenda.
Bamenda is in the Northwest region of Cameroon and is an anglophone town, colonized by the British. The town is gorgeous. It is situated in a valley so when we drove down into the town we saw a beautiful view. There are waterfalls on the cliffs that surround the town and everyone was extremely friendly. We moved into our guest house which was lovely. The best part was that they had running, HOT water! I think we all took as many showers as we could in the three days that we were there, just to soak up the amenity that we have missed dearly!
Friday night we had a lecture from a leader of the SCNC (Southern Cameroonians National Council). This is a liberation party in Cameroon that is trying to succeed from La Republique of Cameroon to become a state of it’s own. The reason it is “Southern Cameroonians” rather than “Southern Cameroonian” is because there was a Northern Cameroonians territory that became a part of Nigeria in the 1960s. This party is very controversial because they believe that they should’ve become their own state in the 1960s as well and that they are being unfairly ruled by La Republique, which is true, there is a lot of tension between the Francophone and Anglophone parts of Cameroon. He was a very passionate speaker.
Saturday was such a treat. We went to John Fru Ndi’s home for a meeting with him and his children. He is the chairman of the SDF (Social Democratic Front) which is the leading opposition party in Cameroon. The CPDM (Cameroonian People’s Democratic Movement) is the leading party in Cameroon and has help political power for decades. In fact, the current president of Cameroon has been in power since 1982... which is one reason why the SDF is so frustrated because they blame the economic and social paralysis on the never changing rule from the CPDM. The whole meeting and question and answering session was such an enriching experience! It is the equivalent of meeting the head of the Democratic party or the GOP in the states, so I think we were really lucky!
Both mornings in Bamenda I went on sunrise runs with my friend Margo. They were so lovely. I think most of us would love to go back and study more in Bamenda if only it was a French speaking area. Speaking that much in English was really messing with everyone’s head!
On Sunday we boarded the bus for the 9 hour ride back to Yaoundé. I was so happy to come home and pleased to see that my family had really missed me. They completely redecorated the house. All new modern furniture, a new refrigerator and even a new toilet!
This week and next week we are visiting a lot of different NGOs and developmental organizations. I am really looking forward to learning about these organizations and possibly making some connections for future international work!
Monday, September 30, 2013
Home Stay in Dschang
About a week ago we all moved to the city of Dschang. Dschang is in the Western region of Cameroon, about six hours west of Yaoundé. Yaoundé is the capital of Cameroon and thus a very urban city while Dschang is a smaller, more rural, college town.
Sunday we moved into our new families. My family consists of my father who is a mechanic, mother who is a secretary for the Dean of the University of Dschang, my eldest sister Nadine who is about 23 and studying accounting and her 20 month old daughter Devine who is adorable, and my two little brothers Kevin who is 19 and Freddie who is 17. The house is very different from my house in Yaoundé, a lot less modern, but comfortable. There is no running water in the home and electricity cuts occur regularly so I’m glad I have a flashlight! The floors and walls are made of a concrete/mud mixture, everywhere besides the kitchen and bathroom which are tiled, and the roof is tin. This area is cooler and rainier (very loud on a tin roof) because we are living in the mountains, but I can’t complain because the scenery is out of this world!
We have our classes (which are now completely in French) in a room at the university which is about a 30 minute walk from our house. This area is home to an ethnic group called Bamiléké so our first week has focused on their history, traditions, and culture. The Bamiléké have a rich history because they are very attached to their traditions even when they move away from this region which because of a lack of space they have had to do throughout the years. However, this makes them not very liked by other Cameroonians because they don’t integrate well into other areas. Coffee is very important to the Bamiléké because this was their main crop that they fought against the French colonizers to take control of themselves. I don’t like coffee, but in our classroom a woman comes and sells coffee every morning, and all the other students say it’s great!
For every lecture we have now we have a field visit that corresponds. It really helps being able to see and experience what we are learning about and I like getting out of the classroom and exploring. One day we went to the local history museum. I love museums and this one was really well done. Each area of Cameroon had a room that was decorated to correspond with the geography of the area (orange walls and a sandy floor for the desert, green walls and bamboo on the ceiling for the rain forest). Another day we went to the Chefferie of Batoufam. The village of Batoufam is about two hours away, but still Bamiléké. A Chefferie is like a traditional kingdom. We met with the chief or chef of the Chefferie and were allowed to ask him any questions we wanted to. Some interesting responses were to questions like: how many wives and children do you have? He would not tell because saying a number would put a cap on the amount he will have and he doesn’t want to name a specific number in case there are more to come; however, I met 13 of his wives and was told that that was not all of them... Another interesting question was about how he became chief. He was “arrested” or taken by surprise when he was visiting Batoufam for his father’s funeral and taken away for 9 weeks for initiation. After that time he is given at least 4 wives off the bat and given 9 months to prove himself or in other words, father a child of both sexes. During this time the village is not allowed to have celebrations or cultivate crops (they borrow from neighboring villages) because the king-to-be is supposed to have pressure on him that if he doesn’t father a boy and girl his whole village will starve. After he has done this he was presented to the village as the chief. After talking to the chief we took a tour of the kingdom and had a gourmet lunch made by his wives of course.
This weekend we were supposed to go to a waterfall but because of the rain they said that the roads would be too rough to get there. Instead, we visited the museum of Bamoun which was really interesting. Then we went to a monastery. The monks have 300 hectars of coffee trees which they sell all over Cameroon and export of France; they also have bees, avocado trees, mangos, chickens, cows etc. It was a really interesting tour.
Yesterday I got to go to the open-air market in Dschang. It was VERY overwhelming and crowded, but I really liked it. Everyone was out doing their shopping because today (Monday) is election day and everything is closed, no school, and we are not allowed to go outside because the police don’t want anyone out besides if you are going to or from your voting location. There is a lot of corruption within the voting system in Cameroon so they are trying to take serious measures to become more honorable. My host mom is working the polls so I’m excited to hear about her day! I spent the day doing laundry (by hand!) and working on homework.
This next week we are studying women in Cameroon and this coming weekend we will travel to Bamenda, an English speaking region.
I’m excited to go to Bamenda and then go back to Yaoundé. I like Dschang, but I miss my Yaoundé host family. They are more interested in my life I think. All the students have felt that way because since the program was originally based in Dschang most of these families have hosted 15 plus students! It is nice because it is easy to come into a family that knows all about exchange students, but at the same time, they don’t find you quite as interesting. I really appreciate these families though. They take you in as their own which is wonderful. Cameroonian people are so warm and such good hosts. I can’t say I expected such a warm welcome and to feel accepted, but I am happily surprised!
Everyone in the group is starting to get their first bout of sickness. One girl got a stomach parasite from eating a guava before washing it. We just have to be careful about fresh foods and filtered water. Other than that everything else is going well. I feel more and more comfortable in Cameroon every single day!
Sunday we moved into our new families. My family consists of my father who is a mechanic, mother who is a secretary for the Dean of the University of Dschang, my eldest sister Nadine who is about 23 and studying accounting and her 20 month old daughter Devine who is adorable, and my two little brothers Kevin who is 19 and Freddie who is 17. The house is very different from my house in Yaoundé, a lot less modern, but comfortable. There is no running water in the home and electricity cuts occur regularly so I’m glad I have a flashlight! The floors and walls are made of a concrete/mud mixture, everywhere besides the kitchen and bathroom which are tiled, and the roof is tin. This area is cooler and rainier (very loud on a tin roof) because we are living in the mountains, but I can’t complain because the scenery is out of this world!
We have our classes (which are now completely in French) in a room at the university which is about a 30 minute walk from our house. This area is home to an ethnic group called Bamiléké so our first week has focused on their history, traditions, and culture. The Bamiléké have a rich history because they are very attached to their traditions even when they move away from this region which because of a lack of space they have had to do throughout the years. However, this makes them not very liked by other Cameroonians because they don’t integrate well into other areas. Coffee is very important to the Bamiléké because this was their main crop that they fought against the French colonizers to take control of themselves. I don’t like coffee, but in our classroom a woman comes and sells coffee every morning, and all the other students say it’s great!
For every lecture we have now we have a field visit that corresponds. It really helps being able to see and experience what we are learning about and I like getting out of the classroom and exploring. One day we went to the local history museum. I love museums and this one was really well done. Each area of Cameroon had a room that was decorated to correspond with the geography of the area (orange walls and a sandy floor for the desert, green walls and bamboo on the ceiling for the rain forest). Another day we went to the Chefferie of Batoufam. The village of Batoufam is about two hours away, but still Bamiléké. A Chefferie is like a traditional kingdom. We met with the chief or chef of the Chefferie and were allowed to ask him any questions we wanted to. Some interesting responses were to questions like: how many wives and children do you have? He would not tell because saying a number would put a cap on the amount he will have and he doesn’t want to name a specific number in case there are more to come; however, I met 13 of his wives and was told that that was not all of them... Another interesting question was about how he became chief. He was “arrested” or taken by surprise when he was visiting Batoufam for his father’s funeral and taken away for 9 weeks for initiation. After that time he is given at least 4 wives off the bat and given 9 months to prove himself or in other words, father a child of both sexes. During this time the village is not allowed to have celebrations or cultivate crops (they borrow from neighboring villages) because the king-to-be is supposed to have pressure on him that if he doesn’t father a boy and girl his whole village will starve. After he has done this he was presented to the village as the chief. After talking to the chief we took a tour of the kingdom and had a gourmet lunch made by his wives of course.
This weekend we were supposed to go to a waterfall but because of the rain they said that the roads would be too rough to get there. Instead, we visited the museum of Bamoun which was really interesting. Then we went to a monastery. The monks have 300 hectars of coffee trees which they sell all over Cameroon and export of France; they also have bees, avocado trees, mangos, chickens, cows etc. It was a really interesting tour.
Yesterday I got to go to the open-air market in Dschang. It was VERY overwhelming and crowded, but I really liked it. Everyone was out doing their shopping because today (Monday) is election day and everything is closed, no school, and we are not allowed to go outside because the police don’t want anyone out besides if you are going to or from your voting location. There is a lot of corruption within the voting system in Cameroon so they are trying to take serious measures to become more honorable. My host mom is working the polls so I’m excited to hear about her day! I spent the day doing laundry (by hand!) and working on homework.
This next week we are studying women in Cameroon and this coming weekend we will travel to Bamenda, an English speaking region.
I’m excited to go to Bamenda and then go back to Yaoundé. I like Dschang, but I miss my Yaoundé host family. They are more interested in my life I think. All the students have felt that way because since the program was originally based in Dschang most of these families have hosted 15 plus students! It is nice because it is easy to come into a family that knows all about exchange students, but at the same time, they don’t find you quite as interesting. I really appreciate these families though. They take you in as their own which is wonderful. Cameroonian people are so warm and such good hosts. I can’t say I expected such a warm welcome and to feel accepted, but I am happily surprised!
Everyone in the group is starting to get their first bout of sickness. One girl got a stomach parasite from eating a guava before washing it. We just have to be careful about fresh foods and filtered water. Other than that everything else is going well. I feel more and more comfortable in Cameroon every single day!
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Bustling Life in Yaoundé
I know it’s been a little while since I have blogged; however, life here has been quite busy. I think it’s funny that we are constantly reminded that we are on Cameroonian time and yet I feel like I am busier than I am in America. On the one hand, we are learning so much in class; on the other hand, we are balancing taking advantage of cultural experiences with getting all our work finished on time.
We have had classes about development and history in Cameroon. Two professor have come to give multiple day lectures about these topics. Dr Willibroad Dze-Ngwa came to talk to us about history and development. He is a professor and researcher in political history and international relations at the University of Yaoundé I. He gave wonderful presentations that taught us a lot about colonial influences in Cameroon. This country is so interesting because it was first colonized by Germans, then taken over by the French and the British so we have learned about these effects and tensions. Then we had Dr David Tiomajou who is the training director for PEACE Corps Cameroon come talk to us about development, globalization, and the interaction between the Western and developing world.
These lectures were so interesting. I have learned how complicated globalization is. We may think that globalization is the way to unite the entire world, but the actual process is much more complicated. We have debated the Western influence in the developing world and whether or not foreign influence is a good thing or a bad thing for Cameroon. So often big companies come in and take over and work with the corrupt government which give temporary employment to the locals, but for a very low amount of profit for the country. In terms of how much the Westerners are getting out of the “exchange”, the Africans are getting nothing. Africa, with all it’s incredible natural resources, only contributes 1% to the global market... The Western world is set on the idea that their way (be in education or business wise) is the right way that it doesn’t value the contribution of developing countries because it is focused on making them developed, or really, Westernized. We need to re-evaluation our global influence and start working for an equal system of globalization. Education is key to this process. The old saying is, “catch a man a fish he eats for a day, teach a man to fish he eats for a lifetime”. This is the only way, in my opinion, that developing countries are going to take back control. They need to teach their people what is necessary to their country, this does not mean a Western way of teaching always. Why are so many Cameroonians being encouraged to get PhDs in law, when what they really need and what would be profitable, are good plumbers or TV repair men. The Western influence has created Western culture to be the only way and the right way, when Cameroon and other developing countries need to return to their cultural roots in order to take development into their own hands and finally make sizable advances.
Anyway, that is some of what we have been learning about. It really makes me question my future career. How involved should I be in developing countries? Should I focus to more local work in the states because I believe the developing countries need to help themselves? Or should I work to educate them on valuable skills? All these questions and more are why I am so appreciative of this opportunity. It is a life learning experience.
I would also like to add that we have had a few different African dance and drumming classes in these last few weeks. They have been very fun and also difficult. I feel like I am integrating and becoming more and more comfortable with my surroundings. I run alone and take taxis alone now because I know where I’m going and have discovered what is safe and not. I have learned to deal with power cuts, water cuts, muddy sidewalks, and wild driving in addition to all the lessons from class.
We are on the way to Dschang as I am writing this (no internet, just drafting in word processing obviously). We will stay in Dschang, which is the Western region and our most rural home stay experience, for two weeks. Then we will travel to Bamenda, an English speaking region, for a weekend before we return to Yaoundé. In Dschang we will have our classes in the University so I am looking forward to meeting local students who are my age.
I hope to have enough internet access and time to write about my experiences in Dschang, but if not I’ll write again in a few weeks!
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Home Stay in Yaoundé
Today marks one week with my new family!
Last week I moved into my first of three home stays. My family consists of a Mama and a Papa who are delightful. My Papa is the manager or CEO of a small store and my Mama is a cashier at the story. I am not too sure of specific details of what they do for a living because in Cameroon it is rude to ask too many questions when you first meet people. I have three little host siblings. Soufaya is 12 and has a hearing impairment so she wears a cochlear implant most of the time. Her speech is fairly good because she went to France for schooling for years while she was younger and has a tutor here in Yaoundé. In fact, my Papa said that he likes hosting exchange students (this is their 4th time hosting) because he feels like the French took such good care of his daughter and he wants to give back in the same way. Then there is my little, energetic, and very helpful brother, Lathif who is 9. He calls himself my protector and loves to show me around and help me whenever possible. Finally, there is Farida who is almost 7 and a darling, happy, playful and curious little girl! We also have cats to keep the mice away!
My family lives the furthest away from the SIT school where we have class everyday. We live in the Muslim section of town, called Tsinga. I have to only family of the group of nine students who is Muslim and I think this has given me a different experience. I wake up every morning to the call to prayer (the Athan) coming from the local mosque. In the beginning I found that this was annoying, but now I actually find it helpful to wake up a little at 5 am so I’m not so sleepy when I wake up at 6:30.
A typical day right now starts with breakfast (gluten free cereal they found for me with hot milk from powder) with my brother and sisters. Then my father drives all the kids to school and drops me off at their school, so I walk about 15 minutes. At school we have French classes, Cameroon history classes where we concentrate on Cameroonian development, and/or research methods and ethics classes to prepare us for our future research projects. The staff has been so helpful with all the classwork and they are getting us ready for our big research project at the end of the semester.
After class we go get fresh lunches from local markets or sometimes out to little cafés. We then return to the SIT center and work on homework or research for future projects or go on runs; we are allowed to stay at the office until 4:30 at which point I start my 40 minute walk home. I am greeted by the smiling faces of my host siblings. We often play, they braid my hair, and twice a week I give them an English lesson. Around 6:30 we sit down to dinner as a family which is often a meat, lots of veggies in a tomato based sauce and some type of starch. All the food is very fresh! Even the herbs like peppercorns and garlic are ground between a flat and round rock!
After dinner Mama and Papa help the kids with homework for awhile and they go to bed at 8. I work on homework until 9 at the latest, but by then I’m really tired and go straight to bed.
You might be wondering about these future projects and research that I have talked about. We are doing an IDI project now that is a mini research project with small groups on anything that we are interested in. I am in a group with my friends Jacky and Margo and we have decide to research traditional medicine doctors in Yaoundé. This project will be finished in the next 9 weeks. After that, we have our 4 week big research project where we can choose our subject and location in Cameroon. I will be researching Francophone Cameroonian women authors and the truth in the themes that they present in their novels. I want to know if the movement from the traditional mother figure to the more modern daughter, a theme that is present in many novels, is a true representation of Cameroonian families or an idealized situation.
There are many differences here in Cameroon compared to back home, but I think the biggest difference is the water. The tap water you cannot drink and must be very careful with around fresh fruits and veggies. Also, there are water cuts all the time. We probably only have running water two days per week. We bathe using buckets and even flush the toilet by pouring in water. Thus, I really appreciate the availability of fresh, clean water that I have back in the states. We really do not know how privileged we are in America. At the same time, I really like learning about how much I do not need to be happy. I’m not even in a rural area, so in the future I am sure I will be made aware even more of what I have in the states.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Orientation
I AM FINALLY HERE!
This adventure is off to a fantastic start!
The group arrived (after 23 hours of travel) and we were greeted by Serge. He is one of our advisors, a really nice man. We loaded into three different cars and headed to a Monastery on Mount Fébé where we lived Monday through Wednesday. The view from the monastery was BEAUTIFUL! (I will post pictures as soon as I can).
This "we" that I keep mentioning includes 9 American students from different universities. Everyone is one year younger than me. The group has spent a lot of time bonding and getting to know each other which is so great. We all get along very well.
The orientation was Tuesday and Wednesday. We woke up and had breakfast at 7:30, usually bread and jam (difficult for a gluten free diet) with Ovaltine, coffee or tea options. Class started around 8, but as we have been reminded multiple times, we are working on Cameroonian time. We are told to expect people to be at least 30 minutes late to everything! This is perfect for me!
Continuing... We have class until about 10 and then have a 30 minute break. During this time we have been learning about life in Cameroon, safety, culture, and have been setting goals for the program. We have a hot lunch at about 12:30. The food is SO good. Often chicken or fish in a sauce, mostly tomato based, rice, bean, and for now avocado and tomato and corn and fruits but we were told they are doing this because they know we Americans like it, uncooked veggies and fruits won't be common in our home stays.
We go back to class after an hour and a half lunch and learn some more helpful tips. We finished at 3:30 Tuesday and went on a long walk as a group. This area is very hilly and luckily for me, very active! There are people running ALL the time! I'm really happy to know that!
On Wednesday instead of afternoon class we did a "drop off". It was exactly what it sounds like. We were in groups (thank goodness) of three and drivers took us from the monastery and dropped us somewhere in the center of the town to complete 10 different tasks and find our way home. We were given money too! Some of the tasks were to go to an internet café, to go to the US Embassy, to buy a gift for a friend etc. We were out and about for about 4 hours! Such an overwhelming experience, but really exciting. My group got yelled at by a taxi driver for not having small enough bills to pay him, but no worries, I hopped out of the car and three people came over quickly asking what change we needed! Every problem that we had was easily resolved with really friendly Cameroonian locals! For those interested in the specifics... a normal taxi fare is 200 CFA per person which is less than 50 cents. The exercise was so useful! I am not yet comfortable to be alone in the city, but I feel more comfortable having had some practice. We also got to go out to dinner last night!
Today we moved out of the monastery and are now in the SIT head quarters where classes will be held. We are doing some debriefing from yesterday and then at 3:30 today we meet and go home with our Cameroonian families! We were told that they will have an average of 3 children per family so I'm really excited! I promise to write more and post pictures in the next week!
Monday, August 12, 2013
Getting Ready to GO!
Three weeks from today I will step foot in Africa for the very first time!
I have been dreaming of going to Africa since I was in high school; and now, as I enter my senior year of college I will finally be able to live out my dream.
A little background about myself and why I will be living in Cameroon, Africa for 3.5 months:
I am a rising senior at the University of Arkansas where I am earning a double major in French and African and African American Studies with a minor in Anthropology. Prior to attending college I took a gap year and studied in Belgium for a year with the Rotary International Youth Exchange program. I will be going to Cameroon, Africa through the SIT (School for International Training) Social Development and Pluralism program. This program is based out of Cameroon's capital, Yaoundé; however, we will have the opportunity to explore all different parts of the country. I will be taking 16 credit hours of study while abroad, the majority of which will be taught in French. I will also live in three different home stays throughout the semester where I will once again be immersed in the French language, as I was when I lived in French-speaking Belgium. The semester will be academically rigorous and include a four week Independent Study project where we will be free to conduct our own hands-on research project. I'm really excited for that portion of the study abroad!
I cannot forget to thank the University of Arkansas for their help in funding this adventure! Many thanks to the African and African American Studies program and the Honors College for their generous aid.
Like I said, less than a month before the adventure begins. That pretty much translates to: CRUNCH TIME! I have a lot of preparation to do before I leave the country. Thankfully the hard stuff is already over... vaccinations, but there is a lot more packing and reading and researching I want to do so that I can be as prepared as possible! Granted, I have done a lot of traveling before and I do know that no matter how rigorously you prepare pre-travel, you must be flexible with whatever may come. Plus, not knowing what you'll be getting into is 90% of the adventure!
I plan to write once more right before I leave the country and hopefully (depending on the internet situation) once a week while I am abroad. Thank you for following my adventure! I'm sure it will be an exciting ride!
I have been dreaming of going to Africa since I was in high school; and now, as I enter my senior year of college I will finally be able to live out my dream.
A little background about myself and why I will be living in Cameroon, Africa for 3.5 months:
I am a rising senior at the University of Arkansas where I am earning a double major in French and African and African American Studies with a minor in Anthropology. Prior to attending college I took a gap year and studied in Belgium for a year with the Rotary International Youth Exchange program. I will be going to Cameroon, Africa through the SIT (School for International Training) Social Development and Pluralism program. This program is based out of Cameroon's capital, Yaoundé; however, we will have the opportunity to explore all different parts of the country. I will be taking 16 credit hours of study while abroad, the majority of which will be taught in French. I will also live in three different home stays throughout the semester where I will once again be immersed in the French language, as I was when I lived in French-speaking Belgium. The semester will be academically rigorous and include a four week Independent Study project where we will be free to conduct our own hands-on research project. I'm really excited for that portion of the study abroad!
I cannot forget to thank the University of Arkansas for their help in funding this adventure! Many thanks to the African and African American Studies program and the Honors College for their generous aid.
Like I said, less than a month before the adventure begins. That pretty much translates to: CRUNCH TIME! I have a lot of preparation to do before I leave the country. Thankfully the hard stuff is already over... vaccinations, but there is a lot more packing and reading and researching I want to do so that I can be as prepared as possible! Granted, I have done a lot of traveling before and I do know that no matter how rigorously you prepare pre-travel, you must be flexible with whatever may come. Plus, not knowing what you'll be getting into is 90% of the adventure!
I plan to write once more right before I leave the country and hopefully (depending on the internet situation) once a week while I am abroad. Thank you for following my adventure! I'm sure it will be an exciting ride!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)